Polaris
by InweTiwele
Summary: AU Rewritten If I was lost I should look to Polaris and whisper his name and he would come for me and keep me safe. I wish that I could believe that that happy time could be have been forever.
1. Prologue

A/N: So, this is the edited version of the prologue. Since my old computer kicked the bucket, I've decided to go back and edit all chapters and replace them as I recover my stories by getting them off of . It's going to take awhile. So that means no updates whatsoever. Sorry. Anyway, enjoy the edited version.

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto, obviously.

* * *

Prologue:

_Once, as my heart remembers,_

_all the stars were fallen embers._

_Once when night seemed forever_

_I was with you._

Sakura ran down one of the many streets of Kyoto, breath coming in short gasps. Flurries of snowflakes fell all around her as she ran, tears streaming from her eyes.

_Once, in the care of morning_

_in the air was all belonging._

_Once, when the day was dawning,_

_I was with you._

'_Stupid, stupid, stupid, how could I have been so stupid?'_ she thought to herself.

She passed the Minamiza Theatre and tripped. Her legs collapsed hard beneath her and she skidded onto the ground, scraping the skin from her palms. She lay frozen on the cement for a few moments letting the snow fall around her; hot, angry tears flowed from her eyes. She choked on her tears. _Why _hadn't she listened to Kakashi?

"I'm so stupid." she sobbed to herself.

Sakura pushed herself to her feet again. Her petal pink hair was flecked with white droplets. She ran, feeling tired, but pushed on. Something within her tried to force her to see reason, but refused to listen to that tiny voice. Sakura's heart was winning.

_How far we are from morning,_

_how far we are_

_and the stars shining through the darkness,_

_falling in the air._

Her friends had told her to stay home. He didn't want her to come. He specifically told them to keep her there in her home. How could he have done that to her? She wanted to help him. _Why _couldn't he see that? Sakura paused in one of the narrow alleys close to the Pontocho district of Kyoto knowing full well that her small pauses could mean that Sasuke was coming closer to death. A sob wracked her chest as she clutched at the stitch in her side. This was all her fault.

She could hear them shouting her name, but she didn't care. Sakura only had one person on her mind and it wasn't herself: it was Sasuke. How could she have _missed_ it? Sasuke had dropped many hints that someone was going to come after him. Even Kakashi had warned her that Sasuke's temporary safety would not last. She mentally slapped herself for being so brainless.

Sakura continued running, her feet pounding on the ground beneath her as she ran to the shrine. Her last hope was that he was alive. That he would turn around and show her that smug little smile.

_Once, as the night was leaving_

_Into us our dreams were weaving._

_Once, all dreams were worth keeping._

_I was with you._

She ran up the stairs, the snow falling heavier, and her tears were slowing with the hope of seeing Sasuke alive. Reaching the top step, she froze at the sight before her eyes.

Sasuke was standing before a man with a pale white face and purple make up with his knife plunged into his chest. His opponent held a katana made of silver that glinted dangerously in the pale moonlight. The tip of the blade was visible through his left shoulder.

The katana had plunged straight through Sasuke's heart. Sakura felt her voice catch in her throat. She saw Sasuke cough and blood come out of his mouth. Her feet were cemented to the stones beneath the feet; her body was paralyzed. There was nothing she could do.

A pained scream tore through her lips as she saw the sword being yanked from Sasuke's chest with a sickening sucking sound. It felt like her heart had been cut in two. Her heart was ripped in two as she watched him fall back, his ivory skinned face turning towards her with surprise in his onyx eyes.

The man that had killed him ripped the knife from his chest, throwing it to the ground and staggered away. He fell with a dull thud in front of the temple bell, dead.

Sasuke staggered as he tried to right himself. He coughed again, blood spilling from his lips. Crimson liquid stained his black clothes.

Sakura choked on her sobs as she ran forward to catch him.

"Sasuke-kun!" she screamed as caught him before he fell.

Sasuke collapsed into her arms, legs giving out under his weight, his eyes growing distant. They were like black stones that were losing their luster to time.

"Sa…ku…ra…" he whispered.

"Don't talk Sasuke-kun," Sakura begged, her hot tears falling onto his face. "Please, hang on. Don't die, Sasuke-kun…kudasai…"

Blood soaked into her clothes and turned the falling snow and stone beneath them red. It soaked through his clothes as he lay dying in Sakura's arms; she was unable to do anything but hold him.

_Once, when our hearts were singing,_

_I was with you._

His hand reached up and brushed away her tears gently. Sasuke's hands felt like ice that would never unfreeze. He had always felt that way to her.

"Ai…shi…te…ru…Sakura…" he breathed.

Sakura felt her breath catch in her throat again. He loved her, he really truly loved her. The corners of his mouth twitched as he smiled at her, blood staining his teeth red. Her chest heaved as she sobbed harder.

"I love you, too." she whispered in between the sobs, touching his face.

His hand brushed her cheek gently as it fell to his side. The rise and fall of his chest slowed and then stopped, black orbs losing their gleam as he stared at the sky. Sakura screamed his name begging him to wake up. She rocked back and forth as she cried. Her hand stroked his hair, as she clutched his body to her chest, refusing to let him go.

The snow thickened, the flakes growing larger. Sakura didn't care. He was gone. He had taken her heart with him, and she felt hollow inside. A part of her was missing.

"You promised that you would never leave! You promised to stay with me!" she sobbed.

She could hear the shouting of her name. Her friends, no – their friends, stopped shouting as they saw Sakura wailing, Sasuke dead in her arms. She didn't pay any attention to them.

"You promised…" she sobbed, cradling his head to her chest.

* * *

_Polaris…the north star…it is the only star in the sky, besides our sun, that never moves. It hangs above the North Pole as a guide to lost ships and travelers, guiding them home. All the stars appear to move around it as if it were the center of the world. That was what he told me. Polaris…He told me…to look at the North Star if I was ever lost. To whisper a small prayer to the North Star and he would hear _

_me. And when he heard me, he would come for me. He would always be there…or so I thought…until that day when the snow fell heavier than any other day in the year._

_I remember seeing a dance that told a story about the Snow Princess…how her tears happen are the snow and when it snows a tragedy is about to happen. I disagree. The snow, it isn't the princess' tears. They are the tears of man._


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: I have decided to go back and edit all of my stories. So here is the edited first chapter. I'm doing this because I originally lost all of my stories when my old computer died; this is my excuse. There are some things I left out that I wanted to include in each on of them, and I decided that I couldn't leave them out because they were kind of important.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 1:

* * *

"_Yet do I fear thy nature;_

_It is too full o' the milk of human kindness."_

_-William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616), "Macbeth," Act 1 Scene 5_

* * *

_I never understood why I took in Uchiha Sasuke when I found him six months before he died. I happened to_ unwittingly _discover him in an alleyway half dead; it still is a mystery to me, to this very day. He never told me what happened to him that night. His face was plastered all over the news even though they did not know his name. To the media and the rest of the world, he was just some murderer who didn't care whether you had a family or a career. Still, I think it was his eyes that pulled me in and forced me to take in a "known" killer. Maybe I hoped he was different from the cold hearted serial murderer that he was supposed to be; maybe it was because I didn't want to be alone anymore; even if I knew he might kill me in my sleep._

_Sasuke would call me kind-hearted and naïve, and to this day I still don't know whether to be insulted or happy I received a compliment from him. I never really understood what he meant when, in fact, the girl he fell in love with was nothing but a selfish teenager clinging to the little company she ever received from someone who truly loved her._

_Naruto and the others would always tell me that I had taken him in because I could never ignore a person in need, no matter who they were or what the circumstances. I've always felt a rather bitter feeling like the sour taste of lemons in my mouth when they said that. Sasuke was not selfish – I am. This pink haired_ thing _is selfish, annoying, an ignorant fool, and someone who can't understand why he went to that temple to fight _him.

* * *

I was close to finishing counting the money in the cash register at the grocery store I worked at on that warm, June night six months ago. Ino, my wonderful blonde best friend, worked in the same store as I did and we would often joke about things while working. It was the 25 of June when I found him after work while walking home. Instead of just leaving Ino, I should have walked home with her, but I was faster at her when counting things. I always had been.

"Wait for me, Sakura!" Ino called.

"Hurry up then, Ino-pig," I snapped back. Our boss had already received the correct amount that had been in the cash register from me. Ino desperately clung to the hop that I would wait for her to finish, but I had homework to finish before school on Monday. She was terrified of walking outside in the dark ever since the murders began.

I think know what you're probably wondering: _How could I leave my best friend alone in the dark with some psycho on the loose?_ Call it a gut feeling, but somehow I knew that whoever he was, he wouldn't touch Ino. Yamanaka Ino is one _loud_ girl and she draws unwanted attention to herself wherever she goes. Then again, she is very pretty.

"You should talk, Sakura," replied my blonde haired, blue eyed cohort. It was obvious she was nervous about walking home alone. I'd done it for months and nothing had happened to me! I wasn't much of a girl to look at. Pink hair, wide forehead; all in all, I was pretty plain looking. That does not include the shocking part of my hair being naturally pink.

"Ino, you don't live far away from the store," I scolded. "Quit being a chicken; you'll be fine." She stuck out her lower lip in a mock pout. Ino could be a crybaby sometimes, but I understood why.

Takahashi-san, our boss, had told us to be careful when we walked home. She really was a kind individual who had my total respect. If anyone could hold her own against an angry customer or disgruntled robber, it was her. In fact, I had seen her stare down very disgruntled customers on a many occasions.

"One more thing Sakura, are you going out tomorrow with Hiashi-san?" asked Ino, dully. My friends didn't like them, and Ino had been among the most vehement when telling me to refuse Hiashi's proclamation of love. I stared at her blankly for a moment, my brain taking its sweet time to register what she was saying. Tch…bastard; If I wasn't so afraid of him, then I would have left him a long time ago.

I nodded my head lethargically. My friends had no idea that he hit me and verbally abused me. It wasn't for them to know. If they had known, I'm sure that they would have strung him up by his big toes and become yakuza. Sure, it would have been fun to watch, but I could never tell them. I would only have involved them in my problems which they really did not need to worry over.

"Have fun!" ordered Ino, in a fake, cheerful voice, as I walked out of the store waving at her with an equally fake smile plastered across my face. It was better if she remained ignorant though I hardly believed in remaining blind to the truth myself. Ino was perceptive, and I was fairly certain she knew what was going on.

Neji and Gaara would often ask me where I got the bruises from and I would give them some lame excuse such as falling down some stairs or walking into a pole. I'm pretty sure that Neji didn't believe a word that I said since he was so good at reading people. Gaara would have killed Hiashi on the spot and, to be honest, he kind of deserved it, but I couldn't just let him die in a horrible painful way (it would have been nice though).

In some districts, the city of Kyoto is surprisingly quiet at night; street lamps lit the concrete and pavement, paper lanterns in the Gion and Pontocho districts. The streets were deserted after dark in the residential areas.

I was halfway home when I a noise broke the stillness. The impenetrable silence had been broken by a rattling breath, and then a moan of pain followed it, breaking through the warm, muggy June air. A cold shiver went up my spine. Something wasn't right, but there had barely been any noise.

My feet stopped moving. I looked around, but I didn't see anything. Shaking my head to clear it of the befuddling fear, I told myself it was my imagination.

"That's strange, I could have sworn I just heard something," I muttered under my breath looking down the alleyway I had stopped in front of trying to see into the dark shadows. I had fallen into the habit of talking to myself.

There was nothing visible. Silently, I stood there waiting to see if my mind had just been playing tricks on me. Patiently I waited with baited breath; my chest felt as if it was about to burst from my heart pounding so loudly. It was the only thing I could hear. What if it was someone that was murdered by that bastard on the news? If it was, then he or she could still be alive.

Convinced there was nothing there after waiting for a few more seconds, I began to continue home when I heard that noise again. It was a groan, a low groan that came from the alleyway. That groan was pained. Someone was in distress.

I turned, facing the alleyway and called into the abysmally black depths like some fool.

"Hello? Is someone there?" I asked. Truthfully, I was so terrified that he would jump out at me at any moment and kill me where I stood, too shocked to move in time. At that moment, I was regretting not waiting for Ino to finish counting.

For a few seconds there was no response. A small rustle met my ears as I stood there straining to listen, a can rolling on the ground, and then a dull thud as something or someone hit the pavement.

'_I'm probably going to regret doing this…but whoever is there might need help.'_

Carefully I picked my way through the dark alley, hoping I wouldn't trip over some garbage. Beer bottles from passing transients were littered on the ground and the little moonlight that broke through the cloudy sky aided me some. My eyes slowly adjusted to the pitch black stretch of city space. I twisted my purse's strap in my hands out of apprehension, my palms sweating.

I silently cursed the weatherman for being right for once since I couldn't see very well still. Taking another step, my eyes fell onto a mess of black cloth on the ground that was easier to discern as I squinted my eyes together. Hesitantly I walked forward not realizing it was a person until I saw pale skin peeking out from the black mess of cloth. Sucking in a breath, eyes widening, I thought for a moment I had just discovered a murder victim that was still alive, but barely.

"Are you alright?" I asked kneeling down and touching the person's shoulder gently. A low moan of pain was his only response. I grabbed his shoulder and rolled him onto his back. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I looked into the boy's face. It was the murderer and he was even more breathtaking up close, but I instantly felt panic growing inside of my chest.

Up close he looked to be about my own age, maybe a little older. I would never have imagined a murderer would have been so handsome. It was like a painting had come to life even though he looked lifeless. A ringing resounded in my ears at the thought. Something wasn't right. I had just heard him moving seconds before.

I studied his face, silently wondering why he was lying there in the middle of an alley. Honestly, I couldn't understand how someone like him would end up dying in the middle of the night, but if he had killed those people it would be better for me to just leave him there. It would be retribution for the things he had done.

A silver gleam caught my eye. Reluctantly, my eyes followed the glint caught by the faint ray of light from the street lamp. Embedded in his shoulder was a dagger. I grimaced at the thought of being caught in a dark alley facing _that._ Whoever had crossed his path obviously wanted him dead.

My eyes turned back to his finely sculpted face. His pale features seemed to be etched with sleep. Harsh gasps broke through his lips. It was amazing he was still alive. Indecision seeped through my bones – I was trying to convince myself to _leave_ him there. I peered at his face again.

Gingerly I pulled the upper part of his body into my arms; I hadn't expected him to be so heavy. Blood seeped into my clothes. My eyes found a tint of crimson on his ivory neck. I stumbled a bit as I pulled him towards me so his head rested on my shoulder; knowing that you shouldn't move an unconscious person. His jaw clenched in pain at the sudden movement.

"Can you hear me? Hey?" I whispered to him practically hissing in ear. Obviously, there was no response besides a slight twitch of his head. It must have been like listening to the outside world from underwater; everything probably sounded muddled.

I looked down at the knife, wondering how I was going to get him to my apartment without driving the knife any deeper.

"_WHAT? You want to take him home with you? Are you insane? You don't even know who this boy is! Not to mention he's a fucking serial killer!"_ my inner self screamed at me. I calmly ignored her as I adjusted him so I could lift him easier.

"_Well…what else am I supposed to do, I can't just leave him here!"_ I mentally retorted. My inner self was quiet for a few moments as she considered that statement.

"_You could take him to a hospital!"_ my inner self conveniently spluttered back at me. That would totally _not_ blow up in my face. I could see the outcome as clear as day: The doctor walking up to me and saying, 'Um, excuse me, miss, you do realize that you just brought in a known serial killer?'

My parents would _love_ that. It just paints a beautiful Monet painting in my mind.

"_Then I would get questioned!"_

"_Those reasons are valid, but just tell the truth! It's not like you're going to get into trouble. What can _you _do for him?"_ I glared at nothing but the wall of the building in front of me. Time was of the essence and I really did not want to spend time arguing with myself.

"_Help him!"_ I replied to the voice inside my mind after a short pause. I could hear my inner self snort quite audibly.

"_Your head, if he _dies_ at your place."_ Oh, lovely. What a lovely, lovely thought. It was so kind of her to remind me that if he died I would have to call the police and then the police would ask me, just like the doctors if I took him to the hospital, WHAT THE HELL I WAS DOING WITH HIM IN MY APARTMENT! Again, my parents would not be laughing and I doubt anyone else would either.

"_Shut up!"_ I mentally reprimanded her and slowly stood up.

I rose from the ground. His legs immediately gave out under his weight, but I supported more of his weight. I looked into his face and saw his eyes darting under his eyelids. Moving him was not helping. His hand brushed against my arm and I shivered. The skin was too cold for that of a dying man. It was 

preternaturally cold, like the snow. My belief had been that only corpses could be as cold as ice. At that moment, it appeared that even the dying would grow cold, but shouldn't a body still retain some warmth?

I carefully hoisted the boy onto my back and felt the hilt of the knife dig into my shoulder causing my charge to give a small cry of pain as it bit deeper into his skin. Biting my lip, I carefully shifted his body so that the knife wouldn't dig further into his skin; he whimpered when the pressure on his wound was released. I pulled his arms in front of me so I could hold onto him. Hunching over slightly I began the now even longer walk home.

Warm blood soaked through the back of my shirt. I inched out of the alley being careful not to disturb him in anyway and looked around for pedestrians of any kind. If they saw him…they would freak, call the police, and I would be, well, for lack of a better word: screwed. All the way to my apartment I could hear his shallow breathing and I was terrified he was going to die. Then I would just be lugging around some dead weight.

"You better not die on me, or I'll hunt your ghost down and kick your ass," I muttered to him scathingly. His only response was a low moan of pain as his head rolled and touched my neck gently. The boy's raven hair felt like silk brushing against my skin, and the scent of crushed pine drifted off his skin.

My face began to burn, and then there was a rather persistent, screaming voice in the back of my head with the _subtle_ reminder that the person that was causing me to blush was most likely going to kill me when he woke up… if he didn't die first.

I made it successfully to my apartment building with my charge still alive – which was a definite plus. It couldn't have taken me longer than thirty minutes. My legs trembled from the boy's weight on my back. It felt like I was carrying around a whale, not a human being. I stood in front of my apartment door and glared at it for a few minutes. Why did lockable doors have to be the cause of such problems?

"_An unexpected challenge maybe, Sakura?"_ asked my inner self in a jeering tone. My eye twitched in response.

"The hospital is farther away, want to say anything to that?" I asked out loud. My face turned bright red from embarrassment.

With difficulty, I managed to rummage through my purse to find my keys. I pulled out the offending keys that jangled stridently as I shoved them into the lock and twisted it until a barely audible click sounded. The apartment was silent. Buzzing from the appliances in the kitchen was the only noise that broke through the oppressive silence.

Kicking the door closed behind me, I fumbled for a light switch. I was unable to move my arm without disturbing the unconscious boy on my back, so I used his own arm to turn on the light. My apartment wasn't usually disorganized or untidy, but I had been throwing things around that morning as I rushed to leave.

The light flickered on and I moved bit by bit towards the bathroom. Turning on the light, I looked around at the spotless room. It was a shame that I would have to clean it again when I was done tending to his wound. After rummaging in the hall closet for some towels, I returned to take care of him, knowing that he could still die.

I carried the green cotton towels into the bathroom and spread them out on the tile floor. They were going to be stained once I was finished with my work. Instinctively, my hand moved towards a door on the vanity, pulling out some of the medical supplies my mother sent me from overseas in case I needed them. It was almost as if my mother thought that I would take care of myself if I got hurt. Well, she had taught me quite a bit about medicine already.

I immediately set to work. Time seemed to slow down as I carefully treated his wound.

He opened his eyes when I pulled out the ghastly blade embedded in his shoulder. His eyes were stunning. They were two onyx stones staring out from a back drop of ivory.

When I had pulled out the knife, he almost screamed, but the cry had died in his throat before it could reach his mouth, eyes rolling back up into his head as he fell into unconsciousness. Luckily, the blade had missed his internal organs.

After what seemed to be hours, I had finished

His bed for the night would be one of the futons kept in the apartment. These were kept for the instances when my aunt visited from Osaka. However, these visits never happened. I never knew why since it was a topic that was never discussed.

Quietly, I left the bathroom to prepare his resting place and find a pair of pajamas. When my parents left to work overseas, my father had left all of his old clothes behind. My father as one of the people that would tell you they were leaving but never tell you where they were going.

When I reentered the bathroom I found him exactly where I had left him: lying unconscious on the floor. He looked dead lying on the white bathroom floor now flecked with crimson. It looked like he wasn't breathing, but the slight rise and fall of his alabaster chest indicated he was alive.

I dressed him in the flannel sleepwear, my face burning as I did it. At least the pajamas fit. I would have to buy him new clothes once he woke up. Wearing vintage clothing from the 70s may not make him very happy. Once I was finished, I half dragged him out to the living room and pushed him onto the futon making him as comfortable as I could.

It took an hour to clean the bathroom. I went back to my room and sat down at my desk flipping on the light. The math problems just stared back at me as my focus slid away from my fingertips like water. My eyelids started to droop and before I knew it I had fallen into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Yes, I know this took me forever to upload and I apologize. I'm working away on the rest of my stories but school is going to start soon and I will be updating a lot more sporadically. Much more than I do now. I apologize for taking so long, but rewriting is a bitch. Oh well, it was my choice and I will not complain. I shall continue! Chaaarge!!!

* * *

Chapter 2: 

_"And thus I clothe my naked villainy_

_With old odd ends, stol'n forth of holy writ;_

_And seem a saint, when most I play the devil."_

_-William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)_

I blinked my eyes open the next morning, raising my head from the table groggily. My bright pink hair was sticking up in various ways; I know that I had pencil lead imprints on my cheek from sleeping on my homework. Looking blearily around, my eyes landed on the digital clock face. It read 7:00 am; I was going to be late…_again._

Panicking, I sprang to my feet with a shout of frustration. I skidded out of my room to the bathroom, scrubbing my face clean and pulling a wet comb through my hair. When the phone rang, I stubbed my toe on my table. Biting back a cry of pain and a string of words not taught to young children, I picked up the phone begrudgingly. I already knew who was on the other line.

"Moshi moshi," I answered nervously.

"Sakura-chan, where are you?" came a concerned voice from the other end of the phone. It was none other than Hiashi.

"I'm at home, Hiashi-kun," I replied quickly. My boyfriend, Hiashi, was really nosy and not to mention a complete control freak. For some reason, he felt the need to say cruel things to me whenever we were alone and he had no chance of being overheard. Sheesh. He seriously needed to get some therapy or a life. Personally, _I_ would have liked him to be hit by a bus. I sometimes wondered why I had even agreed to date him in the first place. Either way, I still kind of liked him back then. I believe that I hoped I could change him. Make him a better person and that one day, he would stop. He never did. I pity the girl who will one day be forced to become his wife. That marriage will never be a happy one and it won't end well.

"I know I'm going to be late but I'll get there as fast as I can, bye."

I hung up the phone and ran back to my room to change. I stopped blinking in shock and surprise. I had just hung up the phone on my boyfriend. Oh, I was going to get it later.

I changed into my uniform, almost putting my sock on my hand before I realized it wasn't supposed to go there. Once, I had _successfully_ changed into my proper clothes I grabbed all of what I needed from my desk into my bag and dashed out into the main room of my apartment. There, I skidded to a halt staring wide eyed at the floor.

There was a boy sleeping in _my_ living room. A _very_ handsome boy at that with pale skin and raven locks of hair that was quite unkempt. I could not remember how he had gotten there and I was wondering what had happened the night before and why on earth he was wearing my _father's_ old pajamas.

Silently, I mused over where he had come from for five whole minutes before I _finally_ recalled finding him covered in his own blood in an alleyway in the middle of the night. I was almost on the brink of hoping he wasn't involved in any gangs until I remembered who he was.

I stepped quietly into the main room walking over to him; he didn't stir as my feet padded quietly across the floor. I kneeled next to him and placed my hand on his forehead to see if he had come down with a fever over night. If he had, then he would have to be taken to the hospital. A fever was never good news for an injured person. Besides, I didn't want to take him to the hospital without knowing what the hell had happened to him first.

After a few moments I pulled back my hand, shivering at how cold the boy's skin was. I had never touched a cadaver before, but I was sure that his skin was just as cold as a dead one's. Still wondering what his name was, I pondered how he could be freezing while staring at his face. The temperature of his skin just added to the obscurity shrouding him while he slept.

I glanced up at my clock and nearly fainted when I realized I had only twenty minutes to get to school. Iruka-sensei was going to murder me where I stood when I walked through the door. I was well aware of the sleeping boy and hoped that he would not wake up while I was gone. Call me strange, but I was afraid he would leave without so much as a word. Being wanted by the authorities I should not have expected him to stay. For some reason, he did. Sasuke never told me why. I think he wanted to, but never got the chance.

Practically jumping down the stairs of my apartment building, I rushed through the busy streets of Kyoto, sprinting as fast as I possibly could. I had always considered myself as a minor athlete, but this was just ridiculous. Somehow I still managed to enter the classroom fifteen minutes late. Trying to avoid detection, I crouched down and crawled across the floor, Iruka-sensei glaring at my back all the while. That man never let anything escape his notice.

Umino Iruka was our English teacher. He was strict when it came to tardiness, homework, and everything in regards to school. However, he was one of the kindest people I had happened to meet. Iruka-sensei's parents had died in a horrible accident when he was young. He had been the class clown and yet he ended up becoming a teacher and Naruto's guardian. I believe it was because he wanted to make a difference.

He was glaring at the back of the head of a certain girl by the name of Haruno Sakura, you guessed it: me, wondering why I was late for the umpteenth time. Some things, he probably guessed, never changed. "Haruno-san, would you care to tell me why you are late, _again?"_

I froze in my spot, suddenly very well aware of the multiple pairs of eyes on me and a certain blonde boy sniggering rather loudly. Standing hurriedly I bowed deeply in apology. "Gomen, Iruka-sensei," I apologized, wondering what punishment Iruka was going to give me this time. Hopefully, he wasn't going to leave my punishment up to Gai-sensei again who had made me do twenty laps around the school all the while proclaiming things about the flames of youth rather loudly.

"Let me guess, you didn't finish your homework either," Iruka theorized rather loudly. My face fell and I knew that was the only indication he needed. "I'll take that as a yes, detention again."

"Yes, sensei." I sighed as I trudged to my seat. Naruto sniggered silently. Well, I would probably have detention with the blond loudmouth again. Great, that was just what I needed again. He may be my best friend, but Naruto could get annoying at times.

It was halfway through class that a sudden realization dawned on me. I had left the boy that I had dragged home last night _alone._ In my _apartment._ Not to mention in my living room. My expression turned to one of absolute concentration to one of panic. That was not good. _'I can't believe it, I left him alone! What if he wakes up?'_ I thought frantically.

* * *

Sasuke groaned in pain as he turned over. His shoulder screamed in protest to his sudden movements, but there was something seriously wrong with where he was. Instead of lying on cold hard cement where he had last been, the Uchiha was lying on something very soft with something warm covering him. 

In reality, Sasuke was supposed to be dead. Ideally, that would have been how he would have liked it and how it should have happened. Somewhere on the way to actually being killed, they had botched killing him. Well, that was what they got for missing his heart. He could have sworn that that hunter in particular had horrible aim. Sasuke seriously thought he was pathetic.

Cracking open his obsidian eyes he looked around dully. His eyes began to adjust slowly to the sunlight, oh how he hated it, and he realized that he was in another person's apartment. That was never a good sign. The walls were painted in a soothing light brown color and he was laying on a futon in a tatami-floored living room.

With a degree of difficulty Sasuke pushed himself up into a sitting position. He looked around blearily. Damn, he wished he knew where he was. Sasuke sat there for a few more minutes trying to figure out what in the seven hells was going on.

A fleeting image of a girl with pink hair and jade green eyes was the only thing he remembered from the previous night, not counting being stabbed in the left shoulder with a rather nasty blade by a person who had absolutely no coherent clue as to what the hell he was supposed to do. He remembered being in excruciating pain when he had seen the girl looking at him with a concerned expression.

A few moments more of thinking about where he was and he realized that he wasn't wearing his own clothing. "Damn…"

* * *

My friend Hyuuga Hinata looked up from her lunch as I reentered the room. I was wearing a rather irritated expression on my face after having to deal with Hiashi canceling our date for the evening. I was glad to escape another beating, but I knew that it would be much worse the next time. Hinata was silently revolted by the thought that such a jerk shared the same name as her father, and I couldn't blame her. I was pretty sure that Hinata was aware of the way things were. She was awfully perceptive. "Sakura-chan, was he upset?" she asked in her soft, comforting voice.

"Upset? He was disconsolate," I replied, my voice laced with contempt. I took a spot beside Hinata with a loud sigh. Now I knew Hinata was certain that my affections for the boy were practically gone. Too bad for him.

"I don't know why you put up with him, Sakura-chan," Ino told me, as I sat there. Yamanaka Ino had never liked Hiashi too. Not once had he struck her as the type to respect other people other than himself, and she was right. I should have listened to them both. Funny thing, only a few girls seemed to realize it and I was unfortunate enough to realize it a little too late.

I looked at Ino and Hinata silently for a few moments before I said anything, "I don't why either."

They just looked at me in surprise. They hadn't been expecting me to say that. What my friends expected was for me to just smile that ridiculous smile of mine.

Slowly the rest of the day passed. It seemed like an eternity. And yet again, Jiraiya was able to successfully disturb his female students and most of the male population of the classroom with his rather perturbing writing style. There was no doubt that Kakashi-sensei greatly admired him for that. He was constantly seen reading the small orange book 'Icha Icha Paradise' written by their sensei. It was just so wrong.

I was dragged out of my thoughts by Gaara's voice expressing a thought that most people would be very interested in hearing about. Usually, I just said I woke up late which I would say today, but that would be a lie. I had been staring at the boy sleeping on the floor of my apartment.

"Haruno-san, why were you late today?" Gaara asked. We all stared at him in a stunned silence. Gaara rarely ever said a word. Not to mention it was nearly impossible to get him to say more than a one word sentence at a time, much like their other friend Aburame Shino, whom you never really knew if he was still alive or sleeping for that matter.

"Wow, that's the most Gaara has said today in one sentence," Naruto said flabbergasted. The blonde had successfully managed to express everyone's precise thoughts yet again besides Shino who probably cared even less than Gaara.

I was quiet for a few moments as I stared at Gaara in incredulous silence. "I…overslept again," I lied quickly. A little too quickly because Gaara gave me a strange look. I knew then I was a dead woman. My friends would follow me home and then they would find that boy which wasn't good. Unless I found out about him first. "I've got to go, sorry!"

"Sakura-chan, don't be late!" Naruto yelled after me as I rushed out the door back home. I knew Naruto silently hoped that I wouldn't be pulled into any kind of trouble by being involved with whatever had made me late. Unfortunately, Naruto had every reason to be worried. There were little nagging voices in the back of my friend's heads. "Do any of you guys have a bad feeling about this also?" I heard Naruto say as I walked down the hall.

The sounds of cleaning stopped; everyone was probably looking at Naruto with blank expressions. Kiba was the one to sound everyone's thoughts. "Yeah…I do too Naruto."

There was a murmur of agreement around the room as they began cleaning again. I ran quietly down the hallway, feeling guilty for listening to my friend's conversation. But I felt even more guilty for lying to them and making them worry.

* * *

A/N: Before I forget, if you have any questions just review with them in there and I will attempt to answer them without spoiling anything. 


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Okay, the next chapter. I am still plowing ahead through my numerous projects on but I am making slow headway. Thus, the slow updates. An overactive imagination sucks.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. Duh.

Chapter 3:

"_Truly, to tell lies is not honorable;_

_but when the truth entails tremendous ruin,_

_to speak dishonorably is pardonable."_

_-Sophocles (469 BC – 406 BC), Creusa_

I reached my apartment thirty minutes later still feeling extraordinarily guilty. I opened the door and came face to face with the boy and suspected murderer that I had brought home the night before. He stared at me and I stared back. Then he did something I did not expect. He blinked at me a little owlishly. It was actually kind of funny.

His hair was as unkempt as it had been the night before and he was still just as pale. The only new thing that I noticed about him was that he had three ear-piercings in his right ear.

Smiling at him as benignly as I could muster, I closed the door behind me and walked further inside. The boy seemed to tense at this and slowly backed away from me which startled me a little. It must have shown on my face because the boy looked at me funny. I blinked at him and then started to giggle slightly after attempting to prevent myself from laughing at him. Well, there went that idea. "I'm not going to hurt you, you know."

The boy only blinked. There was no response from him which wasn't the least bit shocking. Who was I expecting? William Shakespeare? I actually started to wonder if he could even speak. Maybe he was like Neji, Gaara, and Shino who only spoke in monosyllables. That would explain the lack of response from him. And if that wasn't the case, I was in for one hell of a ride. His temper was liable to match his lack of conversation. And those three were scary when they were mad.

I just rolled my eyes, walked passed him while inwardly trembling in fear, and dropped my bag by the table. I nearly jumped out of my skin when he actually said something. "Who…are you?" he asked.

My mouth fell open despite my vain efforts at keeping it closed. He actually spoke to me! Holy BBQ sauce Batman! More like, "Holy shit!" I don't see anyone correcting me though.

I stared at him in astonishment. He was asking _me? _ I should be asking him! He was staying in _my_ home! I had literally dragged him all the way here _and_ ruined one of my shirts. That was really very irritating to hear. "I should be asking you," I replied while attempting not to explode, "you _are_ in my apartment."

The only response out of him was him blinking again and slowly moving away from me. He was strange alright. Was he afraid of people getting close to him or something? Or was he deathly afraid of germs? Did I have a disease?

'_Well, I should at least introduce myself first then if he isn't going to say a word.'_

Hopefully that would dissolve the awkward atmosphere that seemed to have taken an unnaturally strong hold over my apartment suddenly. "My name is Haruno Sakura," I said. "And your name is?"

There was another moment of awkward silence. The boy's onyx eyes met mine, and I swallowed nervously. There was a cold resiliency in his eyes filled with unbridled fury and hatred. That was just _a little _unnerving. Well, if he wanted to tell me then he could tell me. I wasn't about to intrude into his ice block. Even though I did wonder what made him the way he was. I was very aware of the fact that he was going to be abnormally tightlipped about that subject since he was having difficulties in even telling me his own name. Quelle surprise.

"Sasuke…Uchiha Sasuke," the boy replied. The name seemed very familiar to me. Where had I heard of him? He was a complete stranger though. There should be no reason why I had heard of him. That was just even more unnerving. This teen had an extraordinary talent in scaring the living daylights out of people and I was no exception even though I was desperately trying not to show it. Just between you and I, I'm pretty sure I failed miserably. But I could not rid myself of the feeling that I had read his name somewhere before. I just couldn't remember where.

I remembered I had…well…ruined some of his clothing. Silently, I hoped that he wasn't going to be furious at me for doing it. After all they were just clothes. _"Yeah Sakura…just clothes," _my inner self reminded me in a none too subtle sarcastic tone. My eye twitched involuntarily. I probably looked a little crazy to him.

"Well, Sasuke-san, I guess I owe you new clothes," I said in a nervous voice. He blinked at me again and I was relieved. However, I hadn't expected him to ask me _why._ I guess I overlooked that.

"Why?" he asked in a rather condescending tone.

"Well, I had to cut them off when I was treating your injury," I explained. The boy's eye twitched in response. _'Oh shit.' _

I noticed his irritated expression and laughed a little sheepishly. Well, I couldn't take him shopping since there would be outright pandemonium. I guess I was going to have to go in his place.

I left the room to grab my wallet since I didn't carry it with to school and back. "I'm going to buy you some new clothes so you'll have something to wear while you're staying here."

Sasuke looked at me with a confused expression. He was obviously thinking about something. "Who said I was going to stay with you?"

Go figure.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" I asked, wondering if he had any family in Kyoto. The answer was probably going to be no, and if I let him leave he would be arrested for murder. And call me loony, but I didn't believe he actually committed those crimes.

"No."

I know I didn't look surprised. Sasuke told me later on that he was already used to the surprise people expressed when they found out he had nowhere to go. "Then that settles it," I told him smiling. "You're staying with me. If you went outside, you'd be arrested in a matter of seconds anyway. My parents live overseas so it won't be a problem for you to hide out here. Besides I won't be alone anymore."

I saw the boy's face darken at the mention of family. That made me even more curious about him. If something happened to his family then that was truly a cause for concern. He may have been able to find another person to live with though instead of possibly resorting to a life of crime. "Is something wrong?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"Nothing…nothing's wrong," he lied. I nodded my head, deciding to let it go. I knew that he had lied. If his expression was any indication then whatever had happened to them or between them was very bad. When he wanted to tell me what happened to him, he would tell me. If he would ever tell me. At least that was what I thought.

"Well, I'm off to go find you some new clothes," I announced, turning and heading for the door. I could feel Sasuke's eyes on me and his confusion. Why was he so confused?

"Why are you doing all of this?" Sasuke asked.

I stared at him as I turned the doorknob. It wasn't obvious? Well, it was because I couldn't leave a person injured out on the street which you all know. I gave him a tiny smile. "Because you needed help," I replied.

I would later learn that those were the words that caused the realization that I wasn't going to kill him or turn him in. He later told me that in a way, those were the words that saved him from the hunters.

I ran off towards the convenience store to tell my boss I wasn't going to come in tonight, leaving a bewildered Sasuke standing there in my apartment and very confused as to why this girl was helping him when I just could have left him there to die. He never did figure it out, the idiot.

I was done an hour later. I had done a bit of scrounging and looked for the best prices since I didn't want to strain my bank account. I also hoped he would like what I had chosen for him. Everything was all black, with some blues thrown in. It seemed like his style.

Suddenly a voice broke me out of my musings making me jump. It was a very familiar voice which I had come to associate with loathing and my own embarrassment at having been a fool. You guessed it, it was none other than Hiashi.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Oh, Hiashi-kun!" I replied, deliberately not answering his question. _'Shit. He saw me.' _Frantically, I wondered what I was going to say to him. I already knew that there was nothing I could say that would get me out of trouble.

Hiashi laughed lightly, and that laugh sent shivers up my spine. I was in trouble. "Sakura-chan, you didn't answer my question." I realized with a sinking feeling that he wasn't going to let me off lightly this time around. I was really in for it the next time I was alone with him.

I paused. How should I put this exactly? 'I'm sorry, I've just finished purchasing new clothes for a suspected serial killer who is so much more handsome than you are.' Or there was always: 'I was picking up some things for a friend of mind. They needed help with something.' Yeah, any of those excuses was going to fail miserably.

Hiashi stared at me waiting for me to answer him. I opened my mouth to say something and nothing came out. I was going to have to come up with a lie and fast, otherwise he wasn't going to leave me alone. The sooner I got away from him, the better.

How to explain the reasons why I was holding shopping bags filled with male clothing. There was the truth or there was a lie. I chose the lie because then Hiashi would probably leave me alone for a little while longer and ignore the fact that I had lied to his face. Of course, this strategy would come back to bite me in the butt later on.

Thinking fast, I tried to think up a story to explain why I was holding those bags and the result was a story that sounded extremely untrue since the clothing didn't look like anything a family member of mine would be wearing. "I….I was shopping my cousin!" I lied after a moment as I remembered the aunt that lived in Osaka with her son. The two never came to visit the us in Kyoto so I had never actually met him nor did I know what the hell he looked like. So, it was a pretty good excuse. I just couldn't tell Sasuke.

Hiashi didn't seem convinced, knowing by the amount of time it took me to say something. I was definitely a dead woman. He was always extremely suspicious of anything I did and always wanted to know what I was up to. Well, he wasn't going to know that I was protecting a wanted man in my apartment. Not ever.


End file.
